Across the nation, dog-lovers are working to provide more dedicated space for their pooches to run, play and socialize. Read about some of them here and be inspired!

Louisiana:New Orleans City Bark’s[4] 4.6 landscaped acres, coming soon. The first official NOLA dog park, it will have a state-of-the-art off-leash area, walking trails, shade pavilions, benches and a separate small dog section. They’re hoping to raise $500,000, and they could use some help.

Massachusetts: Kudos to Pilgrim Bark Park[5] in Provincetown, which had its grand opening on Nov. 25, ’08. The dog park’s supporters employed unique and creative approaches to raising funds for their OLA. The generous response of local businesses and artists—who contributed everything from a miniature doghouse to be auctioned off, benches, art in the park, and labor and building materials to a “drive by” coin toss/penny pitch installation—reflected the best of this Cape Cod community.

New York: Buffalo’s first OLA, the aptly named Barkyard[6], reopened in October ’08 at LaSalle Park along Lake Erie. Veterinarian Reed Stevens, who has been working on this for eight years, explains that the name denotes a “common backyard for dogs and their human friends—and brings people and their dogs together to improve our parks, our lives and our city.”

Oklahoma: Tulsa’s first-ever dog park opened its gates in August ’08. The Joe Station Bark Park[7], a converted baseball field, has generous opening hours: 5 AM to 11 PM Dog lovers are hoping this will be the first of many in their fine city.

Pennsylvania: Harrisburg’s Lower Paxton Dog Park[8] anticipates its grand opening for Memorial Day ’09. The nearly 2-acre park will have all the amenities, including a nice shady section and separate areas for big and small dogs. With land donated by the township, and the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps slated to do the fencing, the dog park association is busy with fundraising.

Washington, D.C.: Just in time for the First Dog, the first official (and legal) dog park[9] opened on Nov. 20, ’08. The 15,000-square-foot enclosed area is located in the city’s Shaw neighborhood; registration is required, so for now, the park isn’t accessible to outside visitors. Groundbreaking for another new park—the S Street Dog Park[10]—took place in February ’09.